Two white Atlanta police officers who pulled over and questioned entertainment mogul Tyler Perry have been exonerated of racial profiling by an internal investigation, according to documents released Tuesday.

Just after noon on February 24, Perry left his studio in southwest Atlanta alone in a white Porsche Panamera. As the actor and director later explained in a lengthy Facebook post, Perry made an illegal left turn to make sure he wasn’t being followed.

Two Atlanta police officers in a patrol car pulled Perry over and questioned him for about six minutesbefore letting him go without issuing a ticket.

Perry described the incident as “hostile” and that he felt unsafe. One of the officers continued to “badger him” during questioning, the entertainer said.

You may remember that the case shone light on a dire problem that has plagued many African Americans and Hispanics in many cities within the United States.

Perry acknowledged that he made a left turn from a right lane, which a police officer told him was illegal and the reason for stopping him. It was a practice recommended by his security team in case he was being followed, Perry said.

The misunderstanding and tension described by Perry suggests that the two white officers did not recognize him as one of Atlanta’s richest and best-known citizens. It happened a few days before Perry hosted President Obama at his studio on March 17, he said.

The tension was defused after another police cruiser pulled up to the scene, Perry wrote.

“This officer was a black guy,” Perry wrote. “He took one look at me and had that ‘Oh No’ look on his face.”

The black officer spoke “in a hushed tone” to the two white officers, he said.

“After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic,” Perry wrote. Perry did not identify the officers or specify which police department in the Atlanta metropolitan area they were from.

Which brings us to the conclusion of the investigation.

After a four-month investigation, an internal affairs officer reported, “I would submit the evidence shows the actions of both officers with the regard to the traffic stop of Mr. Perry were justified, lawful and proper.”

The report said the officers were working for the auto theft task force and one thought Perry’s $110,000 sports car was similar to one on a list of stolen cars. The officer said that as he turned around Perry made the illegal turn.

One officer, a six-year Atlanta police veteran, told investigators that he didn’t stop Perry because he was black.

“His vehicle had dark, tinted windows,” he said, according to the report.

His partner, on the force for eight years, testified that he “didn’t look at the driver” before the traffic stop.

Perry, whose name appears on his license as Emmitt Perry Jr., said on his Facebook post that he explained to the officers that he was trying to make sure he wasn’t being followed.

One of the officers told investigators he was concerned about Perry’s mental state because of his “actions and body languages.”

A black officer who arrived in a second patrol car recognized Perry and asked one of the other officers whether he knew how famous Perry is.

The car likely wasn’t stolen because “the guy was a billionaire,” the officer told his colleagues, explaining that Perry made movies. His explanation held a slight twinge of sarcasm.

On the recording of the radio traffic that night, one of the two white officers is heard to say, “I really didn’t know who that dude was.”

The black officer asked Perry what model year his Porsche was and figured out it was newer than the car police had listed as stolen.

The officers said they never intended to issue a traffic ticket but wanted to check the car’s identification number.

The white officers were admonished for not calling in the traffic stop to a dispatcher.

The investigator also said it was debatable as to whether one of the officers should have reached into Perry”s vehicle in an attempt to turn off the engine.

The report said that there was no dashboard camera in either patrol car.

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4 comments on “Atlanta Police Cleared In Tyler Perry Profiling Case”

The last statement is ridiculous! Turning left from the right hand lane is a traffic violation, no matter what color you are. The race issue is alive and well, in part, because of stupid comments like this one.

i work for a company for 11 years and white guy came to become manager trainee i help him got the job when he thejob he got a ringtone on fone witha slave being whip wake peole nothing change tth kkk dont use cone on their head they suit look good man